McCain focuses on immigration, gun control in town hall

Sen. John McCain speaks at a town hall on immigration. (KTAR Photo/Pilar Arias)

PHOENIX -- Sen. John McCain worked to lower expectations surrounding his
plan for immigration reform and hinted at difficult disagreements in Congress
during an emotional town hall meeting in his home state of Arizona on Monday
that saw people on both sides of the debate exchange fiery insults.

The raucous exchange illustrated the passion of the debate across the nation as
Congress weighs what could be the biggest changes to immigration law in nearly
30 years.

At one point, a 25-year-old woman stood up and begged McCain and others not to
call her and her family illegal immigrants and instead use the term
undocumented. Some laughed at her, and one man called out, ``I'd like to be
called Irish.''

Another testy exchange saw a Hispanic businessman complain about being pulled
over and asked for proof of citizenship near Tucson. ``We are human, we are not
slaves,'' he said. An elderly white woman yelled back, ``but you're illegal.''

The town hall meeting followed a more one-sided, but equally heated exchange at
a town hall in February in suburban Phoenix, where McCain faced down rebukes
from a largely older, white crowd opposed to immigration reform.

McCain said the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group of lawmakers
working on immigration legislation in the Senate, has agreed on more work visas
for workers and protections for illegal immigrants brought to the country as
children, but declined to provide specific details. He cautioned that he was
``guardedly optimistic'' that Congress would pass reform this year, even as
President Barack Obama renewed his call to lawmakers Monday to overhaul the
nation's immigration laws.

``Whether we will agree or not, I don't know,'' McCain told the more than 150
people gathered at a Phoenix community center.

McCain repeatedly urged civility during the meeting Monday, but he also stepped
in and took sides.

He told the young woman who asked to be called an undocumented immigrant that
he would continue to use the term illegal because it's accurate. Many civil
rights and Hispanic groups consider the term illegal immigrant offensive.

``You can call it whatever you want. I think there is a big difference between
someone who does something illegal and not being documented,'' McCain said,
earning cheers from those opposed to immigration reform.

When immigration activists stood up to thank him for trying to get something
done on the issue, McCain warned, ``You are not going to be completely happy
with this legislation.''

At another point, McCain and some Hispanic activists laughed at a man who asked
how he and other immigration critics could stop ``amnesty.'' McCain also cut off
a Mexican woman who said immigrants should come to the country legally as she
did.

``It's not acceptable to have 11 million people living in the shadows of this
country,'' McCain said. ``If you believe they are not living in the shadows, I'd
like to know what the hell shadows are?''

McCain also spoke on gun control, saying that those with mental disabilities or criminal backgrounds should not have access to weapons.

"We need to have background checks but we also have to make sure that those background checks do not violate the privacy that all of us citizens are entitled to," he said.

He also went on to talk about the national debt that is going to be passed on to future generations. McCain said there's $51,000 in debt for every American and if we don't do something to take care of it the nation may see furloughs for federal employees, layoffs at companies such as Boeing in Mesa, and curtailed operations at Luke Air Force Base.

McCain doesn't believe there will be Medicare, Social Security or other programs in the future because the country will be broke.

McCain will hold another town hall meeting on Tuesday at the BASIS School in Oro Valley at 4 p.m. The address is 11155 N. Oracle Rd.